Instructional Technology Portfolio

Hello! Welcome! This website was created because I love educational instructional technology, with special interests in staff professional development and distance education. If you take a look around on this page, you can learn a bit more about me and my feelings about professional development. My resume will give you a better idea about my work history, and I've included a sample of the professional development materials that I've personally created. My distance learning portfolio showcases my work in support of the Online Teaching Endorsement. For a look at my most current work, my graduate portfolio demonstrates my knowledge of the ISTE standards and the very wide range of projects I've completed.

"When you teach me about technology, I really get it, and don't feel stupid."Quote from a co-worker, which sums up my greatest strength as a technology educator

Personal Information

I live with my family in a slightly rural area, a few miles from a gorgeous state park. I am married to a great guy and have one son who is the light of my life. We also have an assortment of animals including dogs, cats, and bees, and will soon add chickens and ducks into the mix.

My son seems to be on the fast track to being a technologist as well since he is already obsessed with computers and iPads. While probably not intentional on his part, he's taught me features about the iPad I didn't know existed. I'm curious about what technologies will exist when he's 5, 15, 30, etc.

I love to read -- constantly, incessantly, ravenously. I can never own enough books, and my home is full of sagging bookshelves and random stacks of hardbacks. I enjoy both fiction and non-fiction. Some of my favourite authors include Margaret Atwood, Liza Picard, Ariana Franklin, Emma Donoghue, Tracy Chevalier, and the collaborative books of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. My non-fictional interests include historical biographies, especially individuals who lived 15th - 17th century Britian, forensic pathology and medical information, and books of random trivia.

My other love is travel. I would love to visit every country in the world, although logistics and economics are working against me on that one. Even though the Internet allows us to browse and observe the whole wide world without ever leaving our homes, I prefer to see places and people in person. Some of my favourite countries include Costa Rica (especially Santa Elena near Monteverde), Spain (including Malaga, where this picture was taken), Portugal, England, and Germany, which is where I was born. I would like to visit New Zealand, Belize, Argentina, and Scotland.

Personal views on technology and professional development

What I dislike:

Old-fashioned professional development that involves lecturing on technology/tools that teachers may not use for weeks or months, if at all

Old-fashioned professional development that expects educators to instinctively know how best to fit the technology into their learning activities

Old-fashioned professional development in general!

Characteristics of traditional technology professional development Short duration Located outside of the classroom Often introduces technology not seen before Minimal, if any, follow-up Not personalized to the teacher’s situation

Spending money on technology without an in-depth analysis of how it will be used

Not providing adequate time/incentives for educators to engage in professional development

Technology PD that won’t put its money where its mouth is – don’t use a PowerPoint handout to educate users about online presentation tools

The belief that technology can replace educators. Educators can teach without technology. Technology, without an educator, is nothing.

What I believe:

Technology is both the present and the future, for better or for worse, and 21st Century learners require different methods of instruction

Like students, educators learn best when they take an active role in their own learning and the material is personally relevant and delivered in a timely manner